Miserable Penguins
by Music Person
Summary: A musical is being done in the Central Park Zoo! That shouldn't be a problem in itself, so why does Skipper seem so tense? I do not own Les Miserables, Penguins of Madagascar, or Emma (introduced in fourth chapter, she is from Jessie). My OC's are Harmony and Emerald. Rated T because it is Les Mis.
1. Prologue

(Skipper's POV, eighteen years ago)

We're the first here? Good. I need my new men to believe that Private and I came separately. This whole thing is still a surprise to me. One day I'm fleeing Denmark as a convict, promising a priest that I will change my life; then I'm training my deceased commanding officer's son as a new commander. After I completely messed up my last mission, I have to make it up to myself. I met my family for the first time, starving and cold. How could one open-faced sandwich be such a big deal? Manfreedi and Johnson sure didn't help. I thought Hans would help. Those guys are so strict about their jobs. Maybe that's how I should be. Nothing matters but the job. Well, at least Private is young enough he won't remember that I'll be the person he's known the longest.

What was that? Is someone knocking? Well, I better at least check. An otter? Oh, she must be my new neighbor. "Hello?"

"Hi, my name is Marlene. I just saw you getting moved in and I thought I might as well stop by and introduce myself and see if you need any help."

Wow, at least she's friendly. And somewhat pretty. "I'm Skipper. It's nice to meet you. I don't really have anything I need help with, but thanks for asking."

"Oh, well I'll be honest, I was a little curious because I saw you carrying something and I've never seen any other animals have items."

She must have seen me carrying Private and the suitcase of files. I can't let her know anything. "Eh, I do some work for the government. I have some things for my work." Well, maybe a little bit of truth wouldn't hurt.

"A penguin? Doing government work? I thought just humans worked for the government."

"Yes, well, animals actually have a long history of helping the government. Pigeons would deliver messages during the Civil War. Monkeys have been sent to space. It's not that surprising." She doesn't look absolutely certain. At least I don't think she's going to question that any more.

Or maybe not. "I heard there were going to be four penguins. Where's the other three?"

Okay, at least that's an easy question. "They're coming tomorrow. I needed to come a day early because I'm the team leader." Okay, this she seems to accept.

"Well, it was nice to meet you. I better get back to my habitat for the night. See you tomorrow." Should I say something? I guess I'll nod. No, I should at least thank her again for visiting. Wait, she's already halfway to the otter habitat. Oh well, I better get everything ready for tomorrow.

"Well hello Skipper." That Danish accent pierces my eardrums. Hans. I can't turn around and face him. That makes me way too vulnerable for him to grab me. But if I stay facing away, I have no idea what he's doing.

"What do you want, Hans? I thought I was free to come to America."

I hear his laugh behind me. "You will mess up. Sometime. There will be some law that you break. You try to get back into Denmark; you steal some sort of jewel; whatever it is, I'll be there." We are both silent. "That was a pretty little miss at your door." Him mentioning Marlene makes me turn around. "What is her name?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Well, you used to be my friend. I was just curious. Do you happen to know if she has a daughter?"

This catches me by surprise. "Why do you care if she has a daughter?"

He smiles an evil little half smile. "Your situation reminds me of a musical I saw once. A man in trouble for stealing food running from an officer who may even know something that could get him rearrested. He also had a pretty little doll that he raised her daughter after it being his fault she would die." It takes all of my willpower to not tell him that Marlene has nothing to do with that, and that I am in a way raising the son of an officer that it is my fault he died. "What was that musical? Oh yes, Les Misérables. Have you seen it?"

"Yes I have." And he's right. The similarities are incredibly strange. I can't let him know how right he is. That would give him way too much of an edge.

"Well, when you ruin your Fantine's life, I'll be here." Finally, he left, but he knows about Marlene. My situation is very similar to Jean Valjean's. I can't let Hans know that I actually do think she's pretty. I can't let him target her. What can I do? I guess all I can do is just hide my feelings for her. Isn't that what I said I was going to do earlier? Nothing but the job.

Nothing but the job.


	2. Will you do it?

**A/N: Yay! Second chapter! Now for some details that I would have included in the last chapter but I didn't want to bore people in my opening. So, I am Music Person, you may call me Harmony. More about me in this chapter and on my profile. This is an exciting FanFic for me because for the first time ever, I wrote the entire story before I even published the first chapter, so I know exactly where this is going. Expect an update every Saturday or Sunday.**

**Now Reviewer Responses (NOTICE: I do not respond to every reviewer, just the ones that have a question or are confused about something.)  
****MarleneScarlett:**** That was Hans asking Skipper if Marlene had a daughter. He cared because he was already trying to compare Skipper's life to Les Miserables, and if Marlene had a daughter, and Marlene were to die and it be Skipper's fault, it would fit the storyline if Skipper raised Marlene's daughter. I hope that explains it!**

**Now… On with the Story!**

(Third-Person Omniscient, today)

A small, white monkey ran through the zoo. A single star was visible among the lights of New York. _It is way too quiet,_ she thought. She looked to the skies, and started to sing. "There, out in the darkness, a fugitive running, fallen from God. Fallen from grace, God be my witness, I never shall yield, till we come face to face, till we come face to _ugh!"_ The singing stopped with a burst of black and white hurrying past, knocking her over. "Skipper!" Her yell echoed through the zoo.

The cause of her fall slowly revealed himself. "Oh, hey Harmony."

"Hey Harmony? That's all you have to say!?"

Skipper shook his head. "You didn't give us any warning you were coming! I had no idea who was singing. Besides, isn't that song supposed to be sung by a guy?"

Harmony finally stood back up and brushed the dirt off of her fur. "Yes, in the musical that song is from it is a male that sings it. However, the silence was creeping me out and it was the first song that came to mind. How did you know that in the musical a man sings it?"

The rest of the penguin squad and Marlene came up to the two. Skipper looked around as everyone stared at him confused. "I had to watch Les Misérables on a mission one time, and I liked the story line so I bought a copy of the movie when it came out." Everyone still looked at him confused. "What? It's not a girly story! I mean, it's all about war and a man trying to avoid being arrested."

Marlene spoke, "Um, yeah. How much romance is in that story?"

"Enough on my preferences in entertainment. Harmony, why was that the first song to come to mind?" Skipper barked.

Harmony stammered for a second, not wanting to make him even madder. "Well, I've always wanted to direct this musical, and I was wondering if you guys would like to do it."

Private and Marlene got excited and started to say that they would do it, but Skipper cut them off. "Not going to happen. My men and I will never do musical theater!"

Harmony looked him straight in the eye, daring him to say no. "Come on, Skipper. You said so yourself, you love the story of this musical. A strong man keeping his past a secret because no one gave him a chance. France in the midst of war!"

Skipper glared at the monkey. "Not saying we'll do it, but if we did, how do you see casting at the moment?"

Harmony smirked. "I'd ask Julien to be in it as well as Master Thénardier, the innkeeper. Maurice would play the priest that convinces Valjean to turn his life around. Mort would be Gavroche, the street urchin. Marlene would play Fantine, Valjean's love interest. Rico would play Grantaire, the alcoholic with strange wisdom that teases Marius for falling in love. Kowalski would play Inspector Javert, the officer chasing Valjean. Private would be Marius, the rebellion leader that falls in love with Cosette. And you, Skipper, would have the lead as brave and strong Jean Valjean."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Skipper thought about the irony of him playing Valjean, Marlene playing Fantine, and Private playing Marius. Memories of the first night at the Central Park Zoo came back to mind. Did he actually want to do this? Maybe spending more time with the story, thinking of himself as Jean Valjean without worry, would convince him that Hans was wrong. Snapping out of a trance, he looked back to Harmony. She smiled, trying to keep her excitement inside and not doing well. "I don't know. Are you sure that Marlene could do the role justice after Anne Hathaway?" This earned a playful punch from the otter. He looked at her excited face, trying to ignore his heart saying that he had fallen for her. Even after eighteen years, he still couldn't convince himself that he didn't love her. "Okay, we'll do it." A cheer rose through the group. _I hope this doesn't backfire on me._


	3. The Story

**A/N: Okay, I lied in the last chapter. I did not have this whole story written before I even posted the first chapter. I wrote this chapter recently, but some of you may be able to skip it. Basically, I realized that my story may be a little confusing if you don't know Les Mis. Here is a chapter that is pretty much Skipper telling the story to the other penguins. The others have comments as well, but there really isn't that much of anything in this chapter.  
I might as well take this moment to say that if anything is confusing, feel free to ask!**

The penguins headed back to their headquarters. Once they were all together, Private asked, "What is the story of Les Misérables?"

Skipper sighed, not sure if he wanted to be the one to tell the story or not. Once both Kowalski and Rico admitted that neither one of them knew the story either, Skipper knew it was unavoidable. _Well, I'm going to have to spend a lot of time with the story any way. _"The story starts out with a group of men being forced to do hard labor. One of the prisoners is called to the side by his number, 24601. This prisoner is extremely strong. He is told that he had completed his time and was free, but warned that he would mess up somehow, so he would be returning. Also, you find out that the prisoner was arrested in the first place for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving nephew, so he had to work nineteen years. The prisoner was Jean Valjean, and the person telling him that he was doomed to come back was Inspector Javert." Skipper's mind flashed back to his first night at the zoo when Hans found him. He shook the thought, and went back to the story.

"Now free, Valjean tried to be an honest man, but no one gave him a chance. He had to carry around papers that said he had been arrested, so no one trusted him. He got paid half the amount for the same amount of work as other men. He wasn't allowed in an inn, even when he could pay. Finally, he went to a church, where the bishop gave him food and a place to sleep. Not used to the kindness, Valjean stole some silver from the church and ran away. When officers found him, he told them that the bishop had given the silver to him. The officers took Valjean back to the church and told the bishop he told them. The bishop pretended that that is exactly what happened, and that Valjean even forgot that he was also given two silver candlesticks. Once the officers left, the bishop told Valjean that he could keep both the silver and the candlesticks if he promised to use it to become an honest man. Valjean accepted this, turned his life to God, and tore his papers."

Kowalski spoke up. "Wouldn't tearing the papers be illegal?"

"Yes, but by doing so, he cut off any connections to his name, and he could literally start a whole new life as long as he wasn't caught." Kowalski nodded, and Skipper continued. "Years passed, and he gained trust in a small town, along with a business that supplied many with jobs. He ended up being so loved by the people, he became mayor. One day, one of his workers, Fantine, got a letter. She kept it secret, but the other workers found it and read it. The letter was from an innkeeper in another town whom Fantine was paying to raise her daughter, Cosette. As soon as the other workers found out, they accused her of being a prostitute, and a fight broke out. When Valjean and his foreman noticed what was going on, Valjean told the foreman to sort things out. Little did he know, the foreman had a thing for Fantine, and when the other workers told him of their assumptions, Fantine didn't have a chance before she was fired. What the other workers didn't know was that Fantine was in love with a man that left her when he found out that Fantine was going to have a child.

"After being fired, Fantine went to the docks where a group of prostitutes lived and worked, hoping to sell some items. She sold her hair, her teeth, a necklace, and anything else she didn't absolutely need. Eventually, having nothing else to sell, she joined the prostitutes.

"One night, a man wanted Fantine to do her work before he paid. That was not the way the prostitutes did it because of too many people not paying. She said that she would rather not serve him at all, and he attacked her. She scratched his face, and he went to an officer. The officer just happened to be Inspector Javert, the man who released Valjean. Fantine told him her story, but he believed the other man."

"Oh dear, Fantine sure had bad luck with telling the truth. That was the exact same thing that happened when she was fired!"

Skipper nodded and said, "You're right Private, but all hope was not lost. This time, when Fantine cried for help, Valjean heard her. He recognized her, and believed her story. He sent Fantine to the hospital and promised to take care of her.

"About that time, a cart ran over a respected man. The cart was heavy enough that most people believed that it was worthless to try and save him. Valjean ignored him and tried to pull the cart off of the man. He succeeded, and the man was able to leave. However, this act of kindness showed Valjean's extreme strength, which allowed Javert to recognize him. Javert quickly disregarded the idea because supposedly Jean Valjean had been arrested. He left Valjean, and Valjean questioned the right thing to do: stay hidden and safe, or to admit who he was so the innocent man could go free. He finally decided to admit who he was to the court, but people didn't believe him and claimed he had cracked from his mayoral duties.

"Not knowing what else to do, Valjean went to check on Fantine. She was almost to the point of death. She was hallucinating seeing her daughter. As a dying promise, Valjean told her that he would find and raise her daughter. That would have been easy, but about that time, Javert came in. He had heard about what happened, and he was going to rearrest Valjean. Valjean asked for just a few days to set Fantine's daughter up with a nice life, but Javert refused. So, Valjean ran away to go find Fantine's daughter, Cosette.

"In the next scene, you see that the innkeepers in charge of Cosette, Madame and Master Thénardier, use her as a servant, almost a slave. Even if it weren't for that, had Fantine known, she would have never left Cosette with them. The Thénardier's inn was a rotting stink-hole. Their philosophy was pretty much get their customers so drunk they don't care that they are being pick-pocketed. In fact, when Valjean found Cosette, she was carrying a heavy bucket of water. He offered to carry it for her, and she took him back to the Thénardiers' inn. When they got there, he paid for him to take Cosette away so he could give her a better life.

"Years passed, and Cosette and Valjean stayed on the run. They would think they were safe, and then Javert would show up, so they would move to another city. Valjean never told Cosette why they were running, and she grew up alone."

Private looked troubled. "I would hate to grow up alone." The other three looked at him. "I guess I somewhat did. All three of you were already adults when our team was put together." They all felt somewhat bad for Private, but none more than Skipper.

Skipper sighed and started telling the story again. "After a while, Valjean and Cosette were back in the town where the Thénardiers' inn was. Across the crowded town, Cosette saw a young man and immediately fell in love with him. Valjean was recognized by Master Thénardier, who claimed that Cosette was stolen from him. He called for an officer, who just happened to be Inspector Javert. Thénardier told his story, and Javert promised him that he would find and arrest the man.

"Well, the Thénardier's had a daughter named Éponine. She recognized Cosette, and was a good friend of Marius, the boy Cosette briefly saw. Marius knew that Éponine could find out anything, so he asked her to find out about the girl he saw, not knowing that the two girls knew each other. He then went to meet with his friends. France was a mess, and they were planning a revolution. Marius was late for the meeting, and when he told them that it was because he had fallen in love, some of his friends joked with him about it, including Grantaire. Still, one of his friends got them focused on the revolution. When word came that General Lamark, commonly known as "the people's man," was dead, they decided that if they disrupted the processional for his funeral, they could get the most support.

"The day of the funeral came, and they succeeded in their plan. As soon as things had calmed down, Éponine came and told him that she had found Cosette and would take him to her. As they headed that way, Cosette asked Valjean why they were always alone. He refused to give her an answer. She stepped outside for a little while to see Marius. They introduced themselves and talked, falling even more in love. Éponine then reveals to the audience that she is in love with Marius.

"Éponine, not wanting to see any more of their love, starts to leave, only to see her father and others planning to ransack the house. To warn Marius and Cosette, Éponine screams. Marius leaves, and Valjean comes to check on Cosette. Cosette claims the scream to have been her own and says that she saw shadows in the night. Valjean assumes that one of the figures was Javert, and he has him and Cosette leave again. Cosette left a note where she and Marius met to explain to him what happened. When Marius finds out, he feels torn about if to pursue her or fight in the revolution, eventually choosing to fight. He sends a message to Cosette, which is read by Valjean. He goes to fight for the revolution so that he can make sure Marius lives.

"Éponine disguised herself as a boy and joined the rebellion. In the first battle, she got between Marius and a bullet and saves his life. As she is dying, she admits her love to Marius. The rebels vow to fight in honor of her because she was the first to die.

"Javert had also joined the revolution, but to feed the rebels false information. He is caught, and is locked up until the war is over. Valjean saves the rebellion leader's life, and in return, he gains the right to kill Javert. Valjean takes Javert to a secluded area, unties him, and sets him free.

"After the final battle, it was believed that no one lived. In reality, Valjean had taken an unconscious Marius to the sewers so he could get medical attention. Thénardier was in the sewers as well, gathering things that looked like they were of value from the dead. Believing that Marius was dead, he grabbed a ring from Marius's hand. As Valjean almost had Marius out of the sewers, Javert was standing over them. Valjean, knowing that Javert was there to arrest him, asked for enough time to take Marius to get medical attention. Javert grudgingly agrees. Not wanting to be in the debt of a criminal, Javert commits suicide.

"The next day, Marius sees where he and his friends used to meet. He is depressed and only cheered up when he sees Cosette. Once he was strong enough, the two planned a wedding. Valjean, not wanting to endanger Cosette any more, left. Before he left, he told Marius his story and made him promise not to tell Cosette until Valjean was dead. Without another word, Valjean was gone.

"At the wedding, the Thénardier's told Marius about seeing Jean Valjean with a corpse in the sewers after the revolution. Once Marius saw the ring and recognized it as his own, Marius realized that it was because of Valjean he was living. He took Cosette to the church where Valjean was.

"They found him dying and hallucinating. He thought he saw Fantine, guiding him to the afterlife. As a very last thing before he dies, Valjean gives Cosette a letter telling about himself and her mother."

Kowalski, Rico, and Private were all speechless. None of them were sure if they were suddenly more excited to perform the show, or more terrified.


	4. First Rehearsal

**A/N: Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate it and Happy Holidays to those that don't! I know I said updates would be every weekend, and I don't know about you, but it is Thursday where I am, but I have a few reasons to post this chapter early:  
1) If you know Les Mis, the last chapter wasn't much for you  
2) I am going camping, so enough internet to see how story is doing, but not enough to post new chapter this weekend  
3) It's Christmas! An early chapter is my present to you all. I know it isn't much, but No Refunds, Returns, or Exchanges.  
Enjoy!**

Two young girls of about sixteen strolled around the zoo. They were twins, but their hair was different. One's hair was a very light brown, while the other's hair was as black as the night sky and shone so you thought there were stars in her hair. The bronze monkeys rang their bell, signaling the zoo closing. As the sound echoed in their ears, they ran for the nearest restroom. They each took a pill and immediately felt themselves shrinking. When all was quiet, they revealed themselves to each other.

"Okay, if we're twin sisters, why are you a monkey and I'm a penguin?" Harmony looked at her sister, who was indeed a penguin.

"The animal you turn into has to do with the color of your hair the first time you use it. The first time I used this, I had used that temporary dye for me being the White Queen from Alice in Wonderland, so I am a white monkey. Your hair is very black, so you were turned into a penguin. Family relationships have nothing to do with it." The two girls snuck out of the restroom and into the open air. The sun was still setting as they reached their destination: The stage. Surprisingly, everyone in the show was already there. Harmony heard various lines of various songs.

"Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men."

"You forgot I gave these also. Would you leave the best behind?"

"Let's not haggle for darling Collette."

"It's Cosette."

"Whatever."

Harmony was proud of the group. She stood up on the stage and tried to get everyone's attention. When no one settled down, she signaled to Rico to give her an air horn. He understood, and within seconds there was a loud blast in the room. Everyone immediately settled down and listened to the small monkey. "First off, thank you everyone for being here. Secondly, thank you for getting along so well. You may have noticed that there are a few people here not from the Central Park Zoo. That is because I was warned in advance of the lack of females so I asked some friends to come help." She looked around the room and recognized some of those friends, including one who went the extra mile and came dressed up as Madame Thénardier sitting next to King Julien. "Now, the reason I wanted you all here tonight is to pick up scripts and schedules, which I believe you already have. The only characters actually rehearsing tonight are Valjean, Cosette, Éponine, and Marius. Everyone else can either stay and watch or go get some sleep." The only ones left in the room after a few minutes were Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, Private, Harmony's sister and a cotton-top tamarin.

Harmony clapped her hands together and started rehearsal. "Okay, real quick: introductions." Motioning to each penguin as she said their name she introduced. "Skipper who is playing Valjean, Kowalski who is playing Javert, Rico who is playing Grantaire, and Private who is playing Marius." She then turned to the female penguin of the group. "This is Emerald, my sister, who is playing Cosette." Then to the tamarin, she said, "I think I know who you are, but since I haven't had a chance to talk to you since you turned into an animal, I'm not sure."

The tamarin nodded and said, "I am Emma who will be playing Éponine and designing costumes."

"I didn't say anything about costumes. You said that since you lived in New York a few girls could stay with you and that you would play Éponine. I wasn't even going to use that many costumes, just enough that you got the year difference from how filthy or clean Valjean looked."

"Well, I figured you might want some things." Harmony gave Emma a small glare. "Can't we at least use a dress and make-up plan I had done for Fantine in her death scene?"

"Let me see it later and then I'll decide."

No one noticed the two smallest penguins, Private and Emerald, trying to look at each other without the other knowing. Eventually, Private held out his flipper. "It's very nice to meet you."

Emerald blushed and shook his flipper. "Same here. Harmony's told me a lot about you."

"Like what?" Private's eyes got wide, worried about what secrets the sisters may have shared.

Emerald acted like she was brushing bangs out of the way, even though there were none there. "Enough about how sweet and kind you are that I am surprised you are playing a rebellion leader."

Now it was Private's turn to blush. "I get the feeling Harmony did that on purpose." Neither one of them said anything, but they both thought about how easy it would be to act like they fell for each other the first moment they saw each other.

"Okay Emma, we'll continue talking costumes later. For now, let's rehearse!" Harmony got everyone focused again. "Tonight, we will rehearse the songs "In My Life" and "A Heart Full of Love". Valjean is still keeping his past a secret from Cosette, Cosette and Marius are falling even more deeply in love, and Éponine is admitting that she is in love with Marius. Let's go!" Everyone rehearsing got on the stage, and rehearsal began.

The accompaniment recording began, and Emerald started singing. "How strange, this feeling that my life's begun at last. This change, can people really fall in love so fast. What's the matter with you, Cosette? Have you been too much on your own? So many things unclear; so many things unknown."

In the wings, Private watched with Emma. He tried to remember his next part in his head, but all he could think about was how much emotion Emerald put into the song, as if she had really just seen someone she was in love with. While the song continued, Emma tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and Emma motioned toward Emerald, as if to say, "Isn't she good?"

About that time, Skipper started singing his part. Normally, Private would listen to his leader's singing to make sure he didn't miss a note, but he was drawn to Emerald's performance. Whenever her reaction was one of sadness, he wanted to run onstage and give her a hug. Emma saw this, and whispered, "You love her, don't you?"

Private hung his head and let it hang. When Emerald started to sing, his head perked back up. He listened to her song. "There is so little I know that I'm longing to know about the child I wasn't a long time ago. There is so little you say about the life you have known why you keep to yourself, why we're always alone. So dark, so dark and deep, the secrets that you keep." Private was shaken for only a second about how much he wanted to say that to Skipper, but Skipper was so shaken by how much that sounded like something Private would want to say to him that he forgot to sing when his time came again. He didn't realize it until Harmony called out, "Cut!" The recording was stopped, and he turned to face his director. "Why didn't you sing? You said this was your favorite musical!"

"It is! I just got so lost in the scene that I forgot." Harmony accepted this, and with a warning to not let it happen again, they started the scene again. When it came to that line in the song again, Skipper didn't even see Emerald before him anymore. His mind saw and heard Private asking. The scene was stopped again, and it was five more times before they got past the line.

Finally, they got to sing "A Heart Full of Love". Kowalski and Rico pulled a fake metal fence onto the stage. Emerald and Private stood on either side, and gazed into each other's eyes. They didn't even have to think about the song. They just sang and didn't worry. When it came time for the introductions, they reached their first mistake.

"My name is Private."

"And mine's Emerald."

"CUT!" Both looked at Harmony, who had a mischievous smirk on her face. "Do you two realize that you said your own names instead of your characters' names?" The two blushed. Rico laughed, but no one noticed. The scene started again. They made it all the way through, but Emma got one note. "Remember, you hate that he is falling for this other girl instead of you. Try not to look as much like they are perfect for each other."

**A/N: Just to make sure, Emma is NOT an OC; she is owned by Disney because she is in the show Jessie. I needed a teenage girl who lived in New York, and she fit, so she is here!**


	5. Love

**A/N: In this chapter, Rico speaks. If you see a lot of words that make no sense (especially with a lot of w's) that is Rico Dialogue. Please no criticizing on that; I did my best!**

A few minutes after the penguins in the zoo got back to their habitat, Private asked if he had permission to step outside for a little bit. He was allowed, mostly because Skipper felt like he needed some fresh air as well. A few minutes after they left, Rico got a smirk on his face and said he was going to step out as well. As soon as he was gone, Kowalski used his time of solitude to visit Jiggles.

Private was pacing the area behind the stage where there was a large enough hole in the fence for the actors who were actually humans to leave before they returned to their human form. He was stroking something that from a distance you would have no idea what it was. Private looked in his flippers, and saw a black half feather, half strand of hair. He heard a rustling in the bush behind him, and hid the feather hair behind his back. He hid behind a corner of the stage as quickly as he could, but he still heard, "Pwivate, I know youw're here."

He turned around the corner, and saw Rico. He came out at a loss of words, waving with one flipper, holding the black item in the other behind his back. Rico shook his head. "Pwivate, what awe you doing here?"

"Oh, well I'm just seeing if some of our visitors left anything in their departure. You know, those pills they take aren't supposed to last very long so I figure they were in a rush." Rico gave Private a look, and he knew that Rico knew that wasn't the whole truth. With a sigh, Private showed Rico the half feather half hair. "I'm guessing that this belonged to Emerald." He hung his head, guessing that a tough guy like Rico would never understand. He turned around, not wanting to face one of the older members of his team anymore.

"You know, I knew you couwd be lawving and cawing, but I diwdn't know you couwd be IN lawve." Private turned around. Rico had a teasing look to his face. "I'd tell Skippah my new knowledge, but nawt until he admits his thing fow Mawlene." Private smiled, knowing that at least Rico somewhat understood. The two headed back to the habitat together.

(") (") (") (")

"Come On, Emerald: Spill!"

Emma and Emerald, both now human teenage girls, were headed back to Emma's penthouse together since Emerald was staying there. Emma was pestering Emerald, but Emerald was good at faking misunderstanding. "Spill what? There's nothing to spill."

Emma still didn't give up. "Oh yes there is! I saw the way you looked into Private's eyes. You so like him!" Emerald's silence was enough information Emma needed. "OMG! You two make SUCH a cute couple! First, of course, we need to get you two on an actual date."

Emerald stopped and faced Emma. "What are you talking about?!" Emma was too startled to even speak. "Even if I did like Private, not saying that I do, because I don't, it would never work. He's a Penguin! I just take a special pill to become one for the show. After we are done with the show, no more pills!" Emma held up her hands in defeat, and the two girls continued the walk in silence.

(") (") (") (")

Skipper paced around the abandoned hippo habitat. He knew that face on the Private while he was singing. It was true love. He had only seen it once. It was in Africa, on the most unlikely pair: a sickly giraffe and the hippo that used to live in that very habitat. She had thought she found love with a hippo in Africa, but something clicked so she loved the giraffe. Skipper didn't understand enough about love to explain it. He tried to remember where the two are now, but came up with nothing. He tried to puzzle out a lot of things, but nothing came. After a while, he headed back to his habitat, possibly with a mind more fogged than it was when he had left to clear his head.


	6. Can't Handle It

**A/N: Oh, I love getting reviews! To answer to one of those reviews that someone was confused, the ValjeanXFantine is almost more of a fan thing. Some say Valjean raised Cosette because he was making it up to God for him ignoring Fantine before. Some say he did it because he loved Fantine. For the sake of this FanFic, let's say it was because of love.  
Now… On with the story!**

"Okay everyone! Second rehearsal! Yay!" Harmony ran around the stage cheering.

Emerald came up to her and asked, "Why are you so happy?"

Harmony stopped and answered, "If I don't make myself really happy before we start rehearsing, I will be a disgusting, blubbering mess before we are over."

Kowalski came up to the two and asked, "Why do you predict those emotions from tonight's scenes?"

Harmony turned to him and responded, "Tonight, we rehearse the scene where Marlene dies! Then we will go straight into "The Confrontation", where you as Javert will confront Skipper about being Jean Valjean. After that, we will rehearse "A Little Fall of Rain", in which Emma dies! With two deaths and a very short break in between the two, I will be crying my eyes out if my mind is not blinded by sunshine and rainbows before we start!" Harmony then called out to the audience, "Tonight, we need Skipper, Marlene, Kowalski, Private, and Emma!" Private and Kowalski were there almost instantly, but there was no sign of the others. "Skipper, Marlene, and Emma: Where are you?"

"We're coming! We're coming." Harmony looked offstage, and saw Emma glowing with Skipper in a period-appropriate suit and Marlene in a ripped red dress and pale make-up. Emma herself was wearing torn common clothes of the time for a boy. There was no doubt about it: Emma had created costumes.

Harmony face-palmed and sang quietly, "How do you solve a problem like Emma-a?"

Emma shook her head and laughed. "Wrong musical: we're doing Les Mis; not The Sound of Music."

Skipper shouted out, "No! Don't give her any ideas for a next show!"

Harmony looked at Skipper and Marlene. The costumes did make them look more like they belonged in the story. "Fine Emma, you can do costumes…" Emma did a small victory dance. When she was done, Harmony continued, "… If you can have Private in a costume before it is time to rehearse "A Little Fall of Rain"." Emma nodded and dragged Private offstage. Harmony then turned to those left. "Marlene, go get in the bed. Skipper, the slightly shorter bedpost at the foot of the bed is made to break off so you can pull it off for your fight with Kowalski. Kowalski, go stand in that wing until it is time for you to come on. Let's do this people!" Everyone got into position, and the scene started.

Marlene turned toward the curtain, and reached out, as if seeing someone. It was weak, but she sang, "Cosette, it's turned so cold. Cosette, it's past your bedtime." Skipper was almost to tears at seeing Marlene sing to a vision of a young girl. He knew she didn't actually have a daughter, but it was so realistic, he almost forgot that.

Skipper started singing at the right time in a voice so strong you just wanted to trust it. "Oh, Fantine, our time is running out! But Fantine, I swear this on my life."

Marlene grabbed him, as if wanting him to look at something out an imaginary window. "Look Monsieur, where all the children play."

"Be at Peace. Be at Peace evermore." With tears in his eyes, Skipper couldn't help but wonder what he would feel if Marlene was actually dying. They continued singing, not even worrying about the lyrics. In singing the song, Marlene somehow knew that if that were to actually happen, Skipper would take care of her and her loved one's in every way he could. As she closed her eyes, Skipper couldn't help but let a single tear fall.

The music changed, and Kowalski came onstage. "Valjean, at last, we see each other plain. Monsieur Le Maire, you wear a different chain."

Skipper turned around, and the first thing he saw was the evil half-smirk on Kowalski's face. The second thing he saw was Private in the wings, in costume, ready to take the stage as Marius. He turned back to where Marlene was still pretending to be dead, and he froze. His mind raced with a million questions. _What if this were real? What if Hans were here right now watching this? What if I were looking at Hans right now instead of Kowalski? How could I possibly think this was a good idea?_ He turned to Harmony. "I'm sorry ma'm, but I can't do your show." With that, Skipper ran out of the theatre.


	7. Quit

**A/N: Just so you know, this was the very first chapter for this that I wrote.**

"Quit? Why did you quit?" Marlene made Skipper face her. Their costumes reminded them both of the story they just left onstage.

"I just did, okay?"

"No, not okay. You loved the whole idea of you being this character: a strong man keeping his past a secret because no one gave him a chance." At this, Skipper turned away. She didn't say anything, knowing he would deny it, but Marlene heard him cry.

Skipper turned back around. Marlene still wore the make-up that made her look sickly pale. Her torn dress looked beautiful on her. That made it worse. "Hans wasn't always the evil one, and I didn't always overly stick to the rules."

Marlene stared confused. "What do you mean? Where did this come from?"

Skipper sighed, and then stood up a little straighter. "Replace France with Denmark, and Les Misérables is basically the story of my life." Marlene gasped and stammered for a bit. Eventually Skipper held up a flipper and continued. "Of course it's not exact, but there are many similarities. Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his family; I stole an open-faced sandwich. Hans told me I would never get to stop running, as Javert told Valjean. Training Private is even part of me trying to make it up to myself, like Valjean raising Cosette. Seeing Kowalski face me with a smirk way too similar to Hans' the first time he caught me talking to you while Private is in the audience ready to go onstage and be Marius, the one even after possibly not even a day Valjean feels as if he is like a son, it's too much."

Marlene tried to soak it in and find some hint of it being a joke in Skipper's face. "Hans knew it the whole time, didn't he?"

"When he saw us talking for the first time, he even said he was surprised I had found me a Fantine. Since then, I've tried to act like I didn't possibly, maybe, fall in love with you so he wouldn't try to hurt you."

Marlene thought about just how much she had just learned about the mysterious penguin. Suddenly, her mind focused on one statement. "Wait, you've possibly, maybe been in love with me since we met?"

With his flippers behind his back, kicking some dust on the ground, Skipper muttered in a barely audible voice, yes. Neither one spoke for what felt like hours, though it was actually a few seconds. After a while, Marlene asked Skipper, "Who else knows?"

"No one. You are the first person I've ever told. My men don't even know." Marlene nodded and went back inside. Skipper turned around to head back to his habitat. Once he was almost there, he heard a voice behind him.

"Well, Skipper. I feel underdressed now with you in that nice suit."

Skipper turned to the Dane's voice. "What are you doing here Hans?"

The puffin smirked. "I just wanted to know I was right about your little Fantine." Hans walked around the zoo courtyard. "Hm, Fantine, Marlene, even their names roll off the tongue in the same way."

"We've faced each other many times since I came to America. Why haven't you called the Danish officers to catch me?"

Hans' slightly amused face turned stone hard. "Two reasons really. One: you made me look like a bad guy so I lost my status. Two: even they have no reason to catch you since you destroyed your file. My only chance is to catch you myself and take you to them with proof of a new crime." Hans pretended to think for a while. "Actually, I know how to get the security footage of you destroying your file with a nice angle of what the file said. That one bit of film would be enough to get you in trouble for sneaking into Denmark." With this Hans attacked with a mackerel. Skipper thought quickly and jumped into the penguin pond. He used a secret tunnel to go hide in the abandoned hippo habitat. Hans knew about Marlene, and who knew what else he had been able to hear. Probably the part about Private was heard. Something had to be done.


	8. Mark Perry to the Rescue

**A/N: Whew! Just barely missed my weekend deadline. To answer a reviewer question, no, Harmony and Emma are not the same person. Harmony is basically the FanFiction version of me. Emma is from the Disney Channel show Jessie. I could have used an OC for her part, but I needed someone with a fairly large home in New York and Emma was already there.  
Also, while at least somewhat on the topic because someone may ask, Harmony will not be in this chapter because she is staying on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, so she does not leave the zoo with Emma and Emerald. An explanation of how Harmony can do that is coming up in my current FanFic that I have ideas for but have yet to write. (P.S. I do not own Emma. She belongs to Disney. I also feel like I should say I do not own S.H.I.E.L.D. or their helicarrier. They belong to Marvel. I don't know if I need to say that or not since I just mentioned them in an author's note.)  
Wow! That was a long author's note. Let's actually get to the story now.**

Emma and Emerald were walking through Central Park as their human selves again. The two girls were just talking, when from behind a large tree came a large man. He wore a mask, and grabbed the two girls before either one could do anything. They both screamed, but it was not long before he had gagged both girls and tied them together so he could have a hold of both of them at the same time. Emma looked around for help, while Emerald fought for freedom. The man pulled out a gun and held it to Emerald's head. He leaned in close between the two girls and whispered, "Now, you two pretty little things will come with me peacefully, or you both die."

"Not if I can do anything about it!" A British voice came through the air. The next thing they knew, no one was holding onto the rope that tied the girls together. They heard what sounded like a fight, but neither wanted to stay long enough to find out. The two took off, and soon the sounds of fighting stopped and they heard the voice of their rescuer call out, "Wait! Emma! Emerald!"

The two girls stopped and looked at the voice. It was a boy of about eighteen. He had pale skin and black hair that hung around his face. He wore a souvenir t-shirt and sweatpants, both from the Central Park Zoo. He gave a half smile, and both girls knew they were safe. The boy walked over to the girls and untied the rope that held them together, along with the gags. As soon as she was free, Emerald gave him a huge hug.

About that time, a police officer came through the park. "I heard screaming! Is something wrong?"

Emma stepped forward. She motioned at the now unconscious man. "He tried to attack me and my friend. He held a gun to her head and said that if we didn't go with him, he would kill us." Then she turned to the boy. "About that time he found us and freed us. There is no telling what would have happened if he hadn't had shown up."

The officer turned to the boy and smiled. "Well then it's a good thing you were here! What's your name, young man?"

The boy paused for a second, and then answered, "Mark Perry."

The officer gathered all of the information needed, then left with a good-night. Mark escorted Emma and Emerald back to Emma's apartment building. Before the doorman could see them, Mark stopped Emerald and held out his arms for a good-night hug. He whispered in her ear, "Good-night, my Cosette."

He heard in his own ear, "Good-night, my Marius." The hug ended, and Mark watched the two girls to make sure that they were safely in the building before he left. He then headed back the way he came. As he was approaching the Central Park Zoo, he started to feel himself shrink. When he was done shrinking, Mark, now Private the Penguin, went through the hidden hole in the fence, hid the clothes, and went back to his habitat.

**A/N: FYI: the name Mark Perry came from Private's character: Marius Pontmercy. It was close enough in my mind.**


End file.
